Accords are Signed at Kingdom Day’s Round Table Conference in Curacao
Yesterday, Kingdom Day, Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende was in Curacao to attend the Round Table Conference, where he signed an agreement with the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba on the new political structure of the islands.
The final details were ironed out at this summit, and guidelines are now established on the powers of the Dutch government regarding the administration of law in the Netherlands Antilles. In the 2007 round of autonomy negotiations, the Dutch government agreed to write off the largest part of the Antillean debt in exchange for having a say in the islands’ legal system and finances. The islands of Curaçao and Sint Maarten will become autonomous territories, while Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius will become Dutch municipalities. In 2009, the last conditions of dissolution will be discussed and finalized. (Source: Radio Netherlands Worldwide)
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